JEHNNY BETH – YOU HEARTBREAKER, YOU

JEHNNY BETH – YOU HEARTBREAKER, YOU

Artist: Jehnny Beth
Album: You Heartbreaker, You
Label: Jehnny Beth
Link: https://www.jehnnybeth.com/
Style: Rock, Hard Rock, Metal

Camille Berthomier was born in Poitiers (France) into a family where art played an important role. Her father, a theatre director, passed on his interest in theatre and cinema to her, and she has appeared as an actress in a dozen feature films and in the series Hostage. But music was not left behind, as she started playing the piano at the age of eight and, influenced by rock and punk during her teenage years, she made a name for herself in several bands, including the duo John & Jehn and the band Savage. She has also participated in prestigious collaborations with bands such as Idles, Tindersticks, The XX and Rone.

For You Heartbreaker, You, her second solo album, she further emphasizes a rock sound that is clearly harder, which can at least be likened to hard rock or even second-generation nu metal. On most of the tracks, there are also obvious influences from industrial rock, reminiscent of the work of artists such as Marilyn Manson and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails. This is particularly evident on the single ‘No Good For People’, where we hear music full of rage, violence and tension, a veritable electric shock carried by devastating guitar riffs.

A mixture of instrumental textures obtained through hardcore playing and industrial sounds, the sound of this album is as raw and rough as it gets. The treatment of the vocals, which are sung exclusively in English, gives them a compressed feel – far from what audiophiles might expect – but above all a rich, catchy texture that fits perfectly with the devastating style of the rock anthems that make up this hard-hitting album. The lulls in the opening bars of a few tracks are only there to prepare for the explosion that follows, so there’s no risk of boredom when you put this record on your turntable.

WORMROT – NT (Live)

WORMROT – NT (Live)

Artist: Wormrot
Album: TNT (Live)
Label: Earache Records
Link: https://earache.com/collections/wormrot
Style: Metal, Punk

Formed in Singapore in 2007, Wormrot was noticed a few years later by Digby Pearson, head of the Earache label, through one of their songs published on a webzine compilation. Impressed by the quality of their first album, originally released in 2009, he signed them and helped them quickly get noticed by the specialized press, particularly with their second album, which led to some great international tours. Today, they are one of the leading figures of the Grindcore scene and are considered by aficionados of the style to be one of the ten best bands in this genre of music.

Grindcore is characterized by fast execution, which here results in twelve tracks fired off in nineteen minutes. This album sees the original line-up, minus the bassist, perform live tracks from their discography. Musically close to bands such as Carcass and Napalm Death, this album does not suffer from the absence of a bassist, as the live performance recorded at TNT Studio increases the energy of the three musicians tenfold. A veritable explosion, any track on this album could make even the most extreme moments of The Stooges sound like simple teenage pop songs.

With abrasive guitar and angular drums, the sound of this album is reminiscent of a cascade of metal objects colliding relentlessly. The singer’s vocals are more like screams or belches, resulting in a final product that is far from a shapeless mass of sound where everything blends together indistinguishably. While the first few seconds may give the impression of cacophony, the aggressive guitar riffs stand out perfectly, as does the fury of the drummer, whose cymbals rival the guitar in presence. Be careful, however, to start listening to this record at a moderate volume, to preserve your eardrums as well as your speakers.